


life goes on

by themundaneweirdo



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Abuse, Age Difference, Babies, Billy is being a good boy, Birthday, Black Eye, Bruises, Childbirth, Christmas, College, Condoms, Cool Dad Billy, Dinner, Divorce, F/M, Gender Reveal, Getting to Know Each Other, Literal Daddy Billy, Love, Marriage Proposal, Mike asks Billy for condoms, Misunderstandings, Names, Party, Post-Divorce, Pregnancy, School Fight, Step-parents, Wedding Rings, delivery, labor
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-11-18
Updated: 2018-06-29
Packaged: 2019-02-04 00:31:29
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 9,330
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12759411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/themundaneweirdo/pseuds/themundaneweirdo
Summary: Maybe, Billy does love his mom.(no updates until I have feed back on the latest chapter. I love hearing from you guys!)





	1. mama, help me

**Author's Note:**

> Any mistakes are my own.

Christmas holidays are difficult enough by theirselves, especially on Mike’s mom since this is the first Christmas without Nancy. She’s went off to college with Jonathan, and while the family couldn’t be happier, it’s just not the same without her. She’s usually able to book a flight home, just like the past few years, but the weather is horrible this year. To make it worse, Holly is now old enough to eat without Karen’s help, and Mike knows that it bothers her. He can only imagine what she’ll be like once he and Holly move out.

It’s Christmas Eve, the traditional day that anyone could find Karen Wheeler in the kitchen, cooking up a feast fit for a king. Possibly kings. Mike can tell you what her outfit looks like without even glancing at her, what type of perfume she has on without smelling her, and probably what her makeup looks like. She’s always the same every time, like a dressed up doll. Mike prefers her without all that makeup on. 

She was preparing a nice honey ham, but she had forgot one important thing to make the dish really pop; sliced pineapple.

That’s how Mike found himself in Billy Hargrove’s car, pulling his jacket tighter around his body. If things were different, Mike imagines he would be in his dads car instead of the mullet wearing bone-head he calls stepdad. 

Mike doesn’t have a problem with Billy anymore since he’s made up (or at least tried to) for what he’s done to Hawkin’s residence, but even after all the Hargrove clean up, he knew his parents would be splitting. His dad just didn’t care anymore, so when his mom presented divorce papers in front of him, he didn’t even look up to sign them. Things got tense for a while between Mike, Nancy and their mom, especially after they found out she was sneaking around with Billy, but they had to let it go in order for them to be a whole family again. 

Now, two years have passed and Mike hasn’t even heard from his dad. Either way, he doesn’t care.

Mike supposes Billy actually loves Karen considering he dropped the bad boy attitude and even got a job to support the family. He even took up on being called daddy by Holly after about six months of living with the Wheelers. It’s not like he had a choice. With Billy being in their lives, Mike hasn’t seen his mom this happy ever. She’s smiling more often and laughing and just enjoying her life now. 

Billy pulls into the parking lot and unbuckles before checking his pockets. He makes a face and points to the glove compartment on the passenger side.

“Get my wallet out of there.”

Mike fishes the wallet out from under some papers, and his fingers brush something hard. He lifts a few of the papers and– oh. 

It’s a ring box. 

He passes the wallet to Billy, who gets out a $20 before handing it to Mike.

“Your mom said get the sliced pineapples, the can with– hey!”

He reaches over and slams the glove compartment closed, and glares at Mike. Had this been the same Billy that nearly killed Steve, Mike would’ve been scared, but this is Billy Hargrove, his stepdad. He’s got nothing to worry about. 

“You better not say one word to your mom about this.”

“Are you gonna–“

“Don’t worry about it.”

Billy sighs and sinks in his seat, his wallet still open on his lap. Mike glances down at it, and he notices the picture of his mom and Holly. It’s from last Christmas, it’s the picture Billy took when he thought no one was looking. 

Silently, Mike gets out the car and ventures into the store. 

Maybe, he thinks, Billy does love his mom.


	2. maybe, baby

Every day that passes that Karen can’t physically see Nancy, she dies just a little bit. She knows is so cliche to say, but when it comes down to the hurt she feels, she can’t describe it anyway else. It’s like a hole in her heart, and a displacement in the house hold. She doesn’t knock on Nancy’s door to tell her to get up anymore because that’s Mike’s door now, and he’s usually up in time. It’s just not the same. 

Speaking of Mike, he’s growing so fast, Karen can’t keep up. He can almost look Billy dead in the eyes, and pretty soon he’ll be old enough to have a car. He’s been getting out of the house more often, just like Nancy did before she left for a new chapter in life. He’s already been talking about getting an apartment in a bigger city so he can go to college and Jane Hopper can live with him. Karen doesn’t know what she’ll do about that yet, but she imagines Ted should be responsible for that since he pretty much dropped all his kids since the divorce.

Matter of fact, if anything, Billy has really stepped up to be a dad. He was the one who took Mike on his first few dates, and his club meetings, and he even left work and went to Hawkin’s High School when Mike needed a parent to sign him off for a last minute field trip. Not Ted. 

Billy has done for Holly, too. He’s taken his little girl to her ballet dances, walked her on stage to get her ribbons after a competition, and he’s taken her to the park more times than Karen can count on her fingers. Ted probably couldn’t even tell you when the girl was born. 

But, the fact still remains; the house isn’t the same.

Nancy’s place at the table is still empty, her room isn’t hers, and there’s something building inside of Karen.

Maybe she could have another baby. She’s only forty after all, and she’s meet women who have children when they’re beyond her age. Plus, they have a spare room now. Billy has gone in and kindly delivered all of Ted’s extra things to his house outside of Hawkin’s and Karen has never really found a use for the room until now. A nursery, right beside her and Billy’s room. That could work.

The thought of a little girl or boy with Billy’s eyes or hair brings a smile to her face. Oh, his smile on a little child would be too much to handle, they would surely be spoiled by not only their parents, but their siblings as well. She imagines Nancy bringing cute little outfits when she comes for holidays and birthdays, and Mike presenting Dungeons and Dragons to the child, and Holly would just be so excited to have someone to play with. 

Karen smiles as she makes her way down the stairs, the shower steam from the bathroom airing out. She has to put a load of clothes in the washer anyway, so she figured she would go ahead and put her dirty clothes and wet towel in as well. 

Just as she’s about to go toward the washing machine, she glances in the living room, and her heart melts instantly. 

It’s not usual to find Billy asleep on the couch with the tv going while Mike finishes his homework, but with Holly asleep on his chest, and Mike attempting to cover them up, it makes the sight all the more tender. Karen has always just supposed that Mike got along with Billy for her sake, but now seeing that he’s being nice without having to be told or hinted at, that really makes the difference to her. 

“Michael,” she whispers, and Mike’s head whips around faster than lighting. Karen laughs lightly as she ventures closer to her small family. She takes the cover and lays it over the arm of the couch, and gently picks up Holly.

That causes Billy to stir, and then he’s groaning and trying to reach for the young child. 

“Michael’s going to put her bed, okay?”

Mike takes Holly and starts up the stairs, leaving Billy and Karen. She pats his leg as he stretches, the shirt he’s swearing already sliding up his toned belly. Not that Karen minds.

“Sweetheart, go to bed. I’ll turn all this off.”

He nods and stands, pecking her quickly before jogging up the stairs. 

Karen shuffles Mike’s papers together and lays them on his chemistry book. His pencil goes in his bag, his calculator goes beside the book, and before she goes to turn off the tv, a few words on his homework catches her eyes.

It’s a English paper, apparently about family matters, and the last few words cause the smile on her face to get bigger.

Love my family not matter how big or small, it says.

A few lines are skipped and–

My stepdad is pretty cool, too.


	3. birthday cheer

Today, as sad as it sounds, is Will’s sixteenth birthday. It’s the first day of Joyce finally letting her youngest become a man, and it’s about to eat her up. 

Hopper already has the table set, and all the furniture in the house is placed just right so it can accommodate all the soon arriving guests. Eleven has spent the morning harassing her father about it, and apparently, Mrs. Wheeler (although, she’ll soon be Mrs. Hargrove) can’t sit on any old chair or couch in her delicate condition. The poor girl took the responsibility on herself to make sure Karen has a nice seat so she’ll be comfortable. Joyce swears she’s going to have Hopper whipped before she turns eighteen.

Jonathan and Nancy are coming down for Will, Steve even said he would stop by to see the little guy. She’s expecting a full house of people, including parents and Will’s friends, and it warms her heart just knowing her son isn’t seemingly alone in the reckless time of high school transitioning. She remembers how difficult it was. 

Hopper comes in from the back door, a few green grass stains on his forehead and shirt sleeves. He’s been setting up the bedsheet and movie projector in the back for Will’s sleepover extravaganza, and from the looks of it, it’s been a job and a half for the police chief. Oddly enough, however, the worse of it is on Eleven. Her sweater is green and her hair is messy, it’s a true memory worth keeping.

“I’m headed to town to get those movies Will wants.”

“And KFC.”

Hopper sighs as he puts on his jacket. “Yeah, and the KFC.”

He steps out the door, and then Joyce turns to Eleven. 

“Shower, now.”

The young girl smiles and nods, heading down the hallway to the bathroom. 

It’s pretty much a frenzy after that.

Kids come piling in the house, Jonathan and Nancy somehow get lost in the chaos and they can’t even say hello to Joyce without some parents trying to intervene. Dustin’s mother just wants to make sure he’s going to be okay, Lucas’s parents want him home by ten in the morning tomorrow, and Max’s mother keeps checking her over. Finally, Hopper returns and he has enough sense to shuffle every parent out the door, ignoring the scoffs and groans. 

He and Joyce set the table and try their best to help the kids get their plates full while keeping their ears on high alert for the last guest of the evening. They’re all sitting side by side, except Nancy and Jonathan who eat in the living room with Steve, and Joyce and Hopper just lean against the counter with sighs. They only hope that the Wheeler’s arrive before Will demands cake. 

Thankfully, they show up just in time. 

Mike barges in the house and practically squeezes Eleven to death. It’s like he hasn’t seen the girl in forever, but in reality, he saw her a few days prior. Joyce believes that her daughter and Mike have the purest love out there. 

The rest of Wheeler gang comes in, Holly looking around the house as if she’d never been there while Billy (even though Joyce didn’t really like him being in her house, especially after what happened years ago) trailed behind the child with bags and boxes in his arms. Presents for Will. He rests them beside the couch, really in the corner of the room, but they’re out of mind at least until Will decides he’s ready to tear open paper and proudly present his new things. 

Karen is the last person to enter the house. 

To say she’s glowing would be an understatement. It’s probably the pregnancy, she’s about six months now, but that can’t be the only thing causing her to have such a radiant halo around her. Joyce studies her more intently, and it could be the ring on her finger, the way it shines and seems to hold her hand down. Her smile, her whole being, it’s just lighting the room up. Joyce doesn’t think her lamps can light up that bright. It’s so unreal.

Eleven crowds around the expecting woman with a excited, “Mrs. Wheeler!”, and then Nancy is also up, helping the surrounding of her mother. Both of the girls hands go to Karen’s belly, all of them smiling bright and happy. 

The rest of the kids abandon their plates in favor of also feeling Karen’s stomach, and while Joyce is glad for her, she doesn’t feel true happiness about in until she glances at Billy. 

He’s still standing by the couch with his arms crossed, but a smile is on his face, his eyes are glossed over what with can only be called adoration.

Joyce smiles and nods to herself. 

Maybe she doesn’t have to worry about Billy Hargrove anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any suggestions, please let me know! 
> 
> Also, what should Karen have? A boy or a girl? Any names in mind?
> 
> Comment and let me know!


	4. 911, what’s your emergency?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys have a few days left to comment on a gender and name for the baby!

It was supposed to be a normal Tuesday night for the Hargrove house hold.

Mike had learned how to make this cake from home ec class, and Holly and Karen have already ate half of it. He’s down in the basement putting together some type of aircraft model that Eleven really wants as a decoration for her room, so no one really expects to see him anytime tonight. Karen has some old black and white movie on in the living room, and when Billy goes to change it, she slaps his shoulder so he can’t, and it causes Holly to laugh from the other side of her mother. Billy doesn’t really want to change it, he’s too busy with his hands on her belly to be watching tv.

The joy that Karen’s belly gives him is too much sometimes. It’s not like he doesn’t care about Mike and Holly, and on occasion he does miss Nancy and their playful bickering, but this is different. This baby is his, literally and figuratively. It’s a sense of pride that comes over Billy, like he’s finally accomplished what he’s never set out to do, and yet, here he is; in love, engaged, and about to be a proud father. He’s living in his wildest dream in the best way possible.

Holly looks over the baby bump with her big eyes and mumbles something about popcorn, and of course, the big sap that Billy is, he can only comply to what his daughter is asking. He’s halfway to the kitchen when the door bell rings.

Billy really didn’t expect to see Susan and Max at his doorstep.

They have their bags at their sides, coats hugged around them, and there’s a suspicious spot on Susan’s jaw. It could be the lighting from the street lights, but it looks to be a bruise. Billy knows what a bruise looks like, he knows how to cover them or make up fake stories about them, too. He’s not had one on him in years, and he figured Neil was done trying to be the boss of the house, but apparently not. It makes Billy’s blood boil, because he knows what it feels like to be hit and shoved and told he’s nothing. It’s the last thing he wanted to happen to anyone. 

“We have no where else to go.”

Susan’s eyes are glossy, probably holding back tears. There’s bags under her eyes, probably from crying and lack of sleep. 

Billy moves over and gestures in. “Come in.”

Both redheads bustle in with heavy shoulders and tired faces, suit cases held too tight in white knuckles. Now in the brighter light, he sees the spot clearer, and it’s what he suspected; a bruise. He hates the purple and yellow splotches on her pale skin, it’s like a ugly blooming flower and he wants to cut it down by the root. 

“Mike! Get up here!”

Billy hears movement in the basement and living room, he realizes, and Mike is standing in the basement door way with a confused look on his face. Billy makes a gesture with his head. “Get Max’s bags while I get Susan’s.”

“Billy, what–“

Karen is at the living room door frame, a hand on her belly and the other clutching the frame. Holly is wrapped around her mothers leg, innocent and protective at the same time. He gives Karen a look, a hard on at that, and she nods, knowing he’ll talk later.

He and Mike trudge up the stairs to the nursery, even though it won’t be used for a few months, and they rest the suit cases on the floor by the changing table. He tells Mike to get the air mattress from the basement, and the teenager nods before heading back down. Billy knows it’s not the most convenient place for his relatives to stay, but they have no other room. He pushes the wooden crib aside until it’s flush with the matching chest of drawers, and the room is suddenly bigger, at least big enough to fit the air mattress. 

“You two hungry?”

Bashfully, they both nod. Max is quick to speak up, though.

“You don’t have to fix me anything, I just want mom–“

“No, no. You’re both in my house, and you’re both going to be cared for. Karen probably has left overs I can warm up.”

Without missing a beat, he starts back down the stairs, meeting Mike halfway. Billy’s stepson doesn’t say a word, because he already understands what’s going on. He’s heard about Neil Hargrove, from both Billy and Max, and he knows about his temper and rain of terror. Mike knows that’s where Billy’s horrible upbringing is primarily started, from a abusive father that lead his innocent son to believe that beating woman, or anyone in general, is how you earn respect. Billy knows different now.

Luckily, there’s some pasta and marinara sauce still in the fridge from a few hours before, and he quickly makes two plates and warms them in the microwave one at a time. He’s so distracted by the fact that his father has beat on Susan that he doesn’t even hear Karen come into the kitchen.

She touches his right arm, and he flinches for the first time in years before seeing that’s it’s his fiancée. Billy turns to fully look at her, and takes her arms in his hands. She allows the tender touch, although still searching his face for something she knows he needs to tell her. 

“Is it your dad?”

He nods, and he can feel the build of tears starting to form. He sniffs and quickly wipes his eyes, not allowing himself to be weak when Susan and Max need him the most. 

“I’m not gonna let them go back, Karen. I can’t.”

Billy Hargrove is a changed man, for the betterment of not only himself, but for the betterment of his family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember: a few days left for baby name and gender!


	5. as old as sexuality

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter before gender and name reveal! 
> 
> I’ve gotten together with my friends that have also read it, and the top names are:
> 
> Emily and Heather for a girl.
> 
> Valentine and Jesse for a boy.
> 
> Vote in the comments!

As a couple with an age gap of twenty years, Billy and Karen expected people to mistake them as a mother and son. It’s usually the first thing that comes to mind when you see a twenty year old man with a forty year old woman, especially when they’re out with Holly and Mike.

The first time it happened was when Billy had to report to Mike’s school. The teenager had thought it would be cute to bring sonogram pictures of the baby to school to show his friends, and while Billy can see where Mike had good intentions, he can also see where everything had gone south. He had passed the image around the lunch table, Dustin, Lucas, and Will thought it was weird, but Eleven and Max thought it was amazing. The redhaired girl even boasted about becoming an aunt soon.

Somehow, the photo had gotten out of Mike’s grip sometime during gym class, and right into the sticky fingers of some trouble making seniors. They took one look at it and began to tease Mike while the class was playing dodge ball. He was hit a few times, but he let that go, and by the end of the class, he tried his very best to get the sonogram back. He almost had it, too, but one of the meat heads just didn’t know how to stop. 

“Didn’t your mom get knocked up by that Hargrove creep?”

According to Dustin, he’s never seen Mike react that fast. He tore the picture from the older boys grip and proceeded to kick him square in the balls. Billy had a hard time keeping a straight face while the principal was telling him that. 

He and Mike were about to leave the office when the principal stopped them. “Does you two’s mother need a phone call, or can I trust you to tell her what happened?”

Billy smirked. “I’ll be sure to tell my fiancée what my stepson did today, sir.”

The second time is happened was when Holly had Parent Lunch Day at school. Karen was too tired, her ankles were swollen and it’s so hard for Billy to say no to either of his girls. He tried to call Ted to see if he was interested in going to the dinner, but considering he’s not been in any of his children’s lives for almost three years, Billy doesn’t know what he expected when the phone never picked up.

He had to be at the elementary school by 11:30, which is too early for lunch to him. He arrived among the flood of parents, most of them around Karen’s age, but obviously they didn’t have her ageless beauty. They were all guided through the school, checking out all the rooms and hallways, and finally ended up at the desk in front of the first grade hallway. The parents were to tell the woman their child’s name, and she would tell them which room number.

Billy, the good father he is, didn’t need to wait in line. He’s known what room Holly has been in since the school year began, every school year. He strolled down the hallway and came to a stop on front of room A11. He peaked in the window to pick out where his girl is sitting, and once he had his eye on her, he entered the room. 

The moment he was in, Billy was basically attacked by Holly. Her small arms tried their best to wrap around his legs, and when her efforts showed all the potential they had, he picked her up and rested her on his hip. 

Billy walks back over to her desk where she has several paper mache projects have made. There’s a hat, obviously for Karen, a paper tie with a string around it for himself, and a pop sickle stick with two globs of paper mache at both ends. It’s a rattler, Billy realizes with a smile.

He’s about to praise her for her hard work when the teacher steps in.

“Sir, this is for parents only. Not older siblings.”

Holly is quick to reply, “He’s my daddy, Ms. Jones!”

Billy can look back at these events and laugh, because they are truly funny and mean no harm. It also causes a sense of pride in him, because his step children are standing up for their family, no matter if their not blood related. It shows that they care about Billy just as much as he does about them.

But, today’s incident is what really hit home for not him, but for Karen.

They were running low on groceries, so they loaded up Holly in the car while Mike went over to see Eleven at the Hopper household. Karen has had a list written for a few days now, and they finally have a Saturday to run some errands. They need groceries and they have to pick up a few more things for the baby. Not to mention that Holly wants to get some VHS movies so they can all have a movie night.

At the baby department store, while Billy was loading the shopping cart with things that Holly had picked out for the baby, Karen couldn’t help but notice the weird stares that the workers gave them. Or more importantly, gave her. She couldn’t tell if they were staring because she’s pregnant or because she has an attractive twenty year old picking up baby stuff. She knew how they must look, and it’s never bothered her until then. 

The younger girl that was ringing up their items kept glancing at Billy like he was about to be her last meal. Karen didn’t like that at all.

Then, things took a turn for the worst at the grocery store. 

Karen had almost everything marked off her list except the canned corn. They were up on the tallest shelf, and she couldn’t stretch to get them. Billy, although not the tallest man she’s ever seen, was able to reach it and retrieved a few cans for his fiancée. And if his shirt rode up to expose a trail of hair, Karen kept that to herself for a better time. 

Neither of them noticed the older woman watching them from the other end of the aisle until she came up and tapped Billy’s shoulder. 

“What you did for your mother is very kind, not many boys like you left.”

To cut a long story short, the family returned home in silence and without video tapes, much to Holly’s disappointment. 

Now, Karen is sitting up in bed while Billy finishes his shower. She’s very aware of her age, and she’s also very aware that she’s very much older than Billy, and most men his age wouldn’t even glance at her. She won’t admit it, but yes, she’s upset and mad and just wants to go to sleep, but over the past few years, her body has grown accustom to Billy’s being beside hers, so technically, she can’t sleep without him. 

Billy comes in the room, only in his checkered bed pants and his front is still slightly wet. Droplets from his hair are falling down his shoulders and finally to his chest, like a wet dream. He climbs into the bed and sighs as he turns to lay a arm around Karen, who is still sitting up against the head board. 

“Are you still sour about that woman?”

Karen huffs as a conformation. 

“Baby,” he says as he sits up. “There is nothing wrong with you being older than me. Matter of fact, I think it’s hot that you’re older than me.”

She looks at him, flabbergasted at what he’s said. “Now, why is it hot to you?”

“The older you are, the sweeter you taste.”

Karen can’t hold back that laugh that emits from her mouth, low and more of a chuckle if anything. Billy must’ve taken that as his cue, and he began to ravish her neck while her chuckles slowly tampered down to sighs. 

Let’s just say Karen didn’t doubt Billy being attracted to her after that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remembers to vote for baby gender and name!
> 
> Emily and Heather for a girl. 
> 
> Valentine and Jesse for a boy.


	6. colors reveal a truth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Turkey Day! 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who has read and been voting on a name and gender!

Karen is exactly seven months, two weeks and five days pregnant. She’s had morning sickness that lasted hours beyond the morning, horrible mood swings that have caused her to break several plates and even cry when Billy didn’t get her the right kind of chocolate bar, and she’s spent most of her time at home asleep due to the fact that her back began to hurt somewhere in the second trimester and her ankles have been swollen for quite some time.

Billy, bless him, has been the best partner that anyone could’ve asked for. Whatever she broke or cracked, he didn’t say a word, but just smiles and cleaned it up. He’s taken Holly to school and picked her up countless times, the same goes for Mike, and Karen really doesn’t understand how Billy has kept a sane mind this long. She knows her kids can be a hand full, sometimes two, and she supposes with Billy being so close in age with Mike, it helps that relationship, and Holly has had him wrapped her tiny finger since day one. 

Everything that has happened during this pregnancy is known by Karen, and Karen alone. She’s the only one that knows what she’s having, not even Billy knows. She’s already told herself she was going to keep it s secret until last minute, and she’s already talked Billy into letting Holly pick a name because it’s only fair since Nancy named Mike and he named Holly. 

Tonight she’ll tell them. 

She’s going to bake some cupcakes and fill the center with colored frosting. She’ll have to call Nancy to tell her since she’s still at college, even though she’ll be in Hawkins in a few weeks when she has the baby. Billy has already told her that no matter what they’re having, he’ll love their child like he’s never loved anyone before. And she believes him completely. 

The only thing that worries Karen is how will her kids take the new baby once it gets here. Every time she had one, her older children always had a time of withdrawal while their parents (really just Karen) time was molded around a small infant. Holly has never dealt with being put second, and it worries Karen how she’ll take that. She’s tried distant herself a little form her youngest girl, but it’s hard to do when she needs her mother the most. 

Mike already knows what to expect, and she supposes that since the new baby will take up whatever time Karen and Billy have, Mike will push for more time with his stepdad. He’s really became independent on Billy in the last few months since he’s cared about the teenager like he’s own father couldn’t. Recently, he and Eleven have had their first fight, and while Mike won’t admit that he cried, Karen knows he did. Billy knew what to say, knew what to tell him and managed to get Mike to laugh. It was truly a beautiful sight. 

Her family is finally becoming whole in the best way possible.

Karen sets small dishes around the table in three places, one for Billy, one for Mike, and one for Holly. The cupcakes are already made and waiting to be ate, and hopefully no one will eat them in one bite (yes, Mike has tried in the past). She feels tears prick her eyes just thinking about what they’ll say or think when they see the colored frosting. She just imagines the biggest smile on both Mike and Billy’s face while Holly just smiles because she got a free cupcake. 

She calls Billy and Mike from the basement and Holly from the living room. Billy has moved his weight bench to the basement so he can workout and help Mike with his homework at the same time, and sometimes Holly likes to play with her dolls and talk to him while he works out. The come up the stairs, talking about something to do with a science project while Holly comes skipping in and runs into Billy’s legs. 

“Come sit down where you usually do. And Holly, don’t eat this just yet.”

As they all sit, Karen places a cupcake on their plates, and pushes Holly’s plate away just a little bit so the seven year old won’t be tempted to grab at it. They all give her strange looks, but she only smiles. 

“Okay,” she sighs, standing beside Billy’s chair. “On the inside of these cupcakes are a color. If it’s pink, then we’re having a girl. If it’s blue, we’re having a boy.”

The confusion on their faces melt away to smug smiles and Holly even laughs and claps her hands. They’ve all been waiting months for this, and it feels like they’re about to solve the biggest mystery of all time. 

Holly is already grabbing hers, and Billy and Mike aren’t too far behind. They all take a bite to reveal...

Blue icing. 

Before Karen can brace herself, Billy is standing and wrapping his arms around her, and pressing kisses to her face. Mike is up, too, and he’s hugging her just as fiercely as Billy. She can feel Mike’s arms around her belly and what feels like tears on her right shoulder. She won’t point that out in front of Billy though. 

“A boy, momma!”, Holly squeal as she joins her family in the embrace. Her face, even with blue icing all over her mouth and cheeks, is between Billy’s jeans and Karen’s belly, happily squished by her parents.

Slowly, they let Karen go, and she’s sees that Billy is also crying. She smiles as she wipes at his cheeks, happy tears gone but happiness still remains. 

“Holly, baby,” Billy says as he sniffs and pats her head, “what do you want to name the baby since you know it’s a boy?”

Holly makes a face and bites her finger while the other hand is skimming over Karen’s belly, almost as if she’s feeling for a name. Her face drops after a few moments and she’s looking up at her parents and brother. 

“Valentine!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me and my bff looked at the votes I had and then had a serious conversation, and finally agreed on the name Valentine. 
> 
> Also, a seven year old is naming a baby, what did you expect?


	7. wrapped in silk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Update is finally here!
> 
> Don’t forget: Chapter 9 is readers pick! Comment what you would like to see!

1:28 AM

Contractions are about forty minutes apart, her temperature hasn’t went up or down, and Karen seems actually comfortable. She’s sitting in the rocking chair in the nursery, eyes closed as she breathes in and out in a steady rhythm, only dressed in her night gown and socks. Billy is beside her, sitting on chair that is usually in the kitchen, while Holly and Mike are sleeping on the floor of the nursery.

Karen woke up an hour ago with a little pressure in her back and her belly had became hard like a basket ball. Billy would’ve freaked out if she wasn’t so calm. She’s already been in labor three times, and by the second, she knew what to expect. This time, the few hours before everything becomes hectic, she calls it the calm. She’s not in much pain, save for the few contractions every forty minutes, and she’s not worried at this point. 

Billy, poor thing, doesn’t really know what to do. He’s never been through something like this, nothing so stressful. The past few weeks have been wonderful, all the family has done is talk about the baby, how funny the name that Holly picked out sounds, and even though Billy loves his sleep, he’s willing to give it up if it means a little baby being brought here. The only thing he’s more excited for is the wedding that’s coming up. 

They’ve already agreed that Mike is going to be best man, so he gets to hold little Valentine during the ceremony, and Nancy as maid of honor. Holly is going to be the flower girl, she can’t wait to see her cute little white dress. Billy and Karen are just excited to finally get married.

Karen groans and leans over her lap. Billy is quick to react. 

“Karen? Baby?”

She shakes her head. “It’s okay, we’ve still got a little while.”

 

5:58 AM

The hospital room is chilly and clean, how Billy would’ve imagined it. There’s needles in Karen’s arms and soft white blankets around her to keep her warm, and Mike is asleep on the couch by Billy. Holly had to be left at Hopper’s so Joyce could tend to her until her mother actually had the baby. The seven year old doesn’t do good when she has to sit still or be quiet for a long time, and it was honestly the only option they had. 

Mike’s only been out for a half hour, he was up to see his mom being wheeled into the labor and delivery center, and he was up to see the nurses stick needles in Karen’s arms. Luckily, he was obliged to leave the room when Dr. Bernard came in to see how dilated Karen was. 

Six centimeters and counting. Only four more to go. 

Karen has been talking nonstop about how cute Valentine will be when he arrives. She hopes he’ll have Billy’s blue eyes and blonde hair and suave smile. She basically wants a miniature of him. That’s probably what put Mike asleep, and plus, it’s 6 in the morning. No one in the family really has gotten any sleep.

A nurse steps in and tells Billy that there’s a full waiting room of visitors for Karen. It doesn’t surprise him. 

“Hey, Mike?”

Billy shakes his stepsons shoulder to wake up, and the teenager is up like a bullet. “Baby here?”

“No, but there’s people in the waiting room here for your mom if you want to go lay down in there. Eleven might be here.”

Nodding, Mike rubs his eyes and leaves the room, heading toward the first level waiting room.

 

10:08 AM

“He’s crowning, Karen. Slow your breathing, rest for a moment.”

The doctor leans back as Karen quietly sobs and breathes in deep, both her hands in Billy’s as he stands next to the bed. He can’t really feel his fingers, but that’s okay because he can’t imagine how bad his fiancée is hurting at the moment. Dr. Bernard had to cut her down below a few minutes ago because Valentine’s shoulders are going to be too wide, and Karen wasn’t about to let the doctor break her sons collar bone just to get him out. Billy didn’t know she was that brave. 

Her hands quiver as the doctor goes back in with cleaning gauze as he wipes away blood and other fluids. Dr. Bernard seems calm, surprisingly, considering Billy has a panic attack every time Karen pushes. 

“Alrighty, you get the head and shoulders out, and then it’s smooth sailing,” he says as he encourages Karen to push once again. 

Valentines head pops free with a horrid scream from Karen’s mouth. Her relentless grip doesn’t ease up on Billy’s hand, but then again he doesn’t even feel it. If it’s broken, it’ll be okay. The doctor is cleaning the whole head, and he invites Billy to see his sons head before he’s fully delivered. 

Shock is what he expected, shock and probably terror, but nothing wracked Billy like the overwhelming emotion of knowing his son is almost delivered, whole and perfect and no one else’s but Billy’s and Karen’s. His heart is swelling by the millisecond with love for his fiancée. She’s making this happen, she’s pushing Valentine out. 

“Get ready. Mr. Hargrove, I suggest you go back up to her upper half to avoid being scarred.”

Even at the light hearted joke, Billy still can’t get over the emotion choking him. 

 

2:09 PM

There’s a calm silence in the room, like a quiet angels hum. The sunlight filters in through the blinds, across Karen as she lays in bed. She’s been stitched up and cleaned, and she’s been asleep for a few hours now. Billy has never seen her so exhausted, and he, too, is worn out. He can’t imagine how Mike must be feeling, or anyone that came to the hospital to be supportive. There’s a whole waiting room full of them, probably asleep in chairs and laying across couches.

He would probably be sleeping if it weren’t for the baby currently in his arms. 

Valentine James Hargrove was fully delivered at 10:14 AM on Sunday, fourteenth of June. He is seven pounds, eight ounces, and twenty one inches long. His finger nails are the size of a half grain of rice, his fingers are so short and chubby, like his little toes. The soft blonde hair on his head feels like silk, fine and smooth, and to everyone’s surprise, he got Billy’s blue eyes rather than Karen’s hazel. In Billy’s eyes, his son is perfect.

Karen held him for about half an hour before she finally succumbed to sleep, and so Valentine was passed to Billy. He didn’t hold the infant long, mostly because he didn’t want to cry in front of his step kids. Mike took him, made a joke about his little fat feet, and could only stare into those crystal eyes and smile until Nancy held out her arms. She cooed and unwrapped the swaddling blanket enough to lift his arms out, and she played with his fingers, and Valentine wrapped his hand around the tip of Nancy’s pointer finger. 

Billy beckoned Holly closer, and picked her up and set her in his lap, and Nancy handed the baby back. Holly’s overwhelming excitement died down as soon as Valentine was held across her lap. Holly’s delicate fingers stroked over the baby’s hair, like she was afraid to touch him or hurt him. Her head tilts to side as she looks down at him. 

“He looks like you, daddy.”

Billy had smiled and agreed. 

The guests had came to see Valentine, and now it’s just Billy, Karen, and their baby. 

Billy wipes at the tears at his eyes, and makes a silent promise to do better than his father. He will never take his son from Karen if things went wrong, he will never lay a hand on his child, and he will never degrade his child as Neil did him. He is not about to become the abuser because he was abused. No way in Hell will he ever become that low. 

“You’re a wonder, Valentine.”

Billy means that with all his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t forget: Chapter 9 is readers pick! Comment what you would like to see!


	8. cold, blue, and half dead

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and let me know what chapter 9 should be! It’s readers pick

It was a normal Thursday to begin with. 

Mike and Holly had been at school for a few hours, and Karen had just got up to feed Valentine. The newborn will be exclusively breastfeed via Karen, which is something that she did with her first three borns. Billy supports her, he knows breast milk will have better nutrients for Valentine, something that baby formula just doesn’t have. He’s preparing to head to work, he’s got his coffee poured and his creamer in thick, and he’s just happy to be going back to work. 

Valentine is three months old, and he’s not a very difficult baby. He sleeps through the night, he rarely cries without reason, and he’s probably the most beautiful baby Billy has ever seen. He might be a little biased, but he can’t help it. He loves his son.

Billy was about to head out when the house phone began to ring.

It’s Hawkin’s High School. 

Mike’s been in a fight. 

Karen insists she goes with Billy, but he won’t let her. She has Valentine to be watching out for, it’s way too early for her to even be out of bed, but she’s feeding her son. Plus, Mike is almost seventeen, he shouldn’t be getting into a fight over anything. The last one is excused only because he was standing up for his family, but now, judging by how the principal sounded, this fight was petty and probably could’ve been prevented. 

The drive to the school was tense, even without anyone else sitting in the vehicle with Billy. He can’t imagine what Mike has done to get into a fight, but that’s like saying he couldn’t have been the one to initiate it. The dark haired boy has grown a good amount of inches in the past few years, and sometimes when he stands up straight, Mike can look Billy in the eyes. That still doesn’t mean Mike can defend himself.

After he signed in and regained his sense of where he’s headed in the school, Billy found his stepson sitting outside the principals office, his head hung low and his hands clasped together between his knees. He was surprised to see El there, too. She’s been around the house a few times, and while she’s done some things that Billy can’t explain, he knows she’s a good kid. He just hopes she isn’t in trouble, too. He knows Hopper would have a fit.

As Billy nears his stepson, he sees that El is holding an ice pack to his eye. It’s swollen and so dark that is has Billy worried for a few seconds, but he’s had his fair share of bruises and cuts. He lets the worry drop. 

“He’s hurt,” is all El says, her voice thick and snotty. She’s obviously been crying, her cheeks are red and her eyes are puffy. 

Billy nods and crouches down so he’s eye level with Mike. “You okay, son? You hurt too bad anywhere?”

Mike shakes his heads, his eyes shutting and a few strained tears fall. Billy curses under his breath before taking the ice pack from El’s shaky hand. The poor thing, she’s probably never seen anything like this happen to anyone, especially not Mike. 

“El, you can go back to class.”

The principal is standing at the doorway, a tired and uninterested look on his face. El nods and glances at Mike one last time before scurrying down the hallway, a faint sound of sniffing following her. As soon as she’s out of sight, Billy stands, not before patting Mike on the knee and handing him the ice pack, and enters the main office. 

The older man speaks as Billy sits down, “Mr. Hargrove, I imagine you don’t know why Mike was involved in a fight?” Billy shakes his head, interlocking his fingers and waits for the answer. 

“Well, I really hate to inform you that he attacked a student during the bell.”

Billy frowned. “Mike attacked someone? Hate to break it to you, but have you seen him? He’s as thin as a pole.”

After some debating, even a little fighting, Billy exited the office, a manila folder in his hand. He looks pissed, Mike hopes at the principal and not at him, so the teenager hops up out of his seat as soon as Billy snaps his fingers. He follows his stepdad out the school and climbs into Billy’s work truck, and if he smells cigarette smoke from the drivers side, Mike doesn’t say anything. 

Billy takes a long drag before turning to the dark haired boy. “Why did you get into a fight? Because I know you don’t have it in you to just jump on someone in the middle of the hallway.”

Mike knows he isn’t trying to hurt his feelings, because honestly, Mike didn’t plan on getting into a fight today. It was a normal day, and he was actually enjoying school, but he should’ve known something was going to go wrong. 

Some guy, Mike thinks his name is Wyatt or something, had cornered El while she was trying to get to her next class. She was backed against some lockers, and no-one bothered to help her. It bothers Mike to no end that the whole school, save for their friends, thinks El is weird and an outcast. So, Mike did what Billy always told him to do, and he’s stepped in to help. 

“Hey, could you back away from her a little? She doesn’t like to be cornered.”

Wyatt or whatever only glanced at the other boy but didn’t seem to get the message, so Mike gave him a little push. Next thing he knew, he was on the ground, and El had her hands wrapped around his forearm trying to get him up. 

Mike sighed, leaning back into the seat of Billy’s truck. “I was trying to help El, and I guess I didn’t think about what I was doing, and I got hit.”

“Did you start it?”

“I pushed this guy away from El, I didn’t hit him, but I still technically started it.”

Mike was ready for Billy to tell him that he was stupid and should’ve thought it through more, he was ready for the disappointment and aggravation, but it never came. Mike felt a hand clap him over the shoulder and Billy shook him. 

“I’m proud of you.”

Mike looked at him, and he saw his stepfathers face was humble and calm, not a raging storm of rage and shame. He was genuinely proud of him. 

“You did the right thing, Mike. That’s all that matters. I’m glad you’re not hurt too bad, but that’s nothing your old man can’t patch up.”

His old man. Billy just said he was Mike’s dad. Not his moms fiancé, not his stepfather, but his dad. 

If Mike cried in the truck and clutched Billy’s jacket, Billy didn’t say a word of it to Karen when they got home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comment and let me know what chapter 9 should be! It’s readers pick


	9. lover of mine (part one)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can’t believe I actually wrote a chapter within an hour. It sucks, but it’s an actual update.

It’s not usual for Billy and Karen to catch a moment for themselves. 

Between their kids and Billy’s job, they have to balance their days carefully. The weekday mornings are hectic, Mike being old enough to drive Holly and himself to school, accompanied by a grumpy six month old baby that doesn’t want to latch onto bottle, and tired parents. Mike doesn’t always get up in time, and sometimes Billy wakes up to find Karen quietly crying on her side of the bed. She’s fine, she tells him, but he knows she’s tired from caring for their children and having been starved of physical touch for such a long time. 

Mike offers to babysit his younger siblings for his parents date night, he even says he can ask Jane-slash-El Hopper (Billy doesn’t ask why her name alternates) to come over and help out. The curly haired girl is very fond of Valentine, she held him once and looked up at Billy before saying, “Like you.” Billy still doesn’t understand if there’s something wrong with the Chief’s daughter or if she’s just like her brother Will; a little on the odd side. 

But, even with Karen and Billy’s spare date nights, they can’t exactly have sex when they get home. They still have kids, Karen just had a baby half a year ago, and she’s actually terrified of getting pregnant again. No offense to Billy, but they agreed to one, and no more. Billy understands that they can’t fool around during the night even though Valentine sleeps heavy and Mike is usually found sleeping with the house phone off the hook and in his hand, passed out from talking for hours and hours on the phone with El. On top of that, Holly has made herself a little space between her parents in their bed since Valentine’s been born. She feels left out. 

However, with Thanksgiving coming around the corner, Nancy has been staying with the family. She sleeps in her old room, now Mike’s room, with him in the queen sized bed. Neither of them mind it, they’re older and more mature now. Nancy helps a lot with Valentine during the day while Mike is out with El doing God knows what, Billy’s at work, and Holly is in a stage where she doesn’t want anything to do with her baby brother. Billy is scared she’ll actually hate him when she gets older, but Karen always tells him not to worry. Holly just isn’t used to be put second. 

Nancy genuinely enjoys spending time with Karen and her new baby brother, she can be found around the house either bouncing Valentine in her arms or helping Karen with washing and folding clothes, washing dishes, the usual house chores. Nancy has hinted that she and Jonathan thought about having one, which made Billy choke on his beer and Karen smile affectionately and clutch her chest. Billy swears Karen is too soft sometimes. 

Today, Billy finds himself at the super market with Mike, searching the aisles for the items on the list that Karen shoved in his face before she took Valentine for his usual check up,  
Nancy busying herself with Holly. Billy takes pity on her and lets the girl have some time with her sister, but hauls Mike with him so he won’t be alone. 

Billy scratches the back of his head, his new short hair cut already bothering him. He misses his mullet, his neck feels naked without it, but after having his curls pulled way too many times by his son, he decided to cut it all off. Now, it’s just curls on top of his head, messy and unruly. Karen says she likes it, so he’ll deal. He pushes the shopping cart as Mike walks behind him, naming off a few things that are on the list. 

“Shaving cream, razors for me and mom, shampoo, and condoms.”

Billy freezes, and reaches back to take the list out of Mike’s band. “It doesn’t say condoms, Mike. What the hell?”

Realization settles over Billy’s face when he sees Mike’s blush. Oh. He can’t say he’s surprised, he’s known that Mike and El were bound to do it sometime, and they’re both sixteen now. Billy was way younger than that. He just hopes the Chief hasn’t caught on. 

“Please, don’t tell mom,” Mike says, taking the list back to busy himself and hide his blush. Billy shakes his head and laughs under his breath. He wouldn’t rat Mike out like that. Maybe if El was pregnant, but by the time Billy would’ve found out, he guarantee’s Hopper would know, and he would’ve already tried to shoot the dark haired boy. 

“I’m not, Mike. I’ll buy you a box, but just one. You two better make them last.”

Mike sighs and nods, trailing behind his stepfather as they turn down an aisle. Billy lets him pick out the shampoo, shaving cream, and razors, but Billy takes his time to consider which condoms would be best for a couple of teenagers. They’re almost always together, and it makes Billy realize they’ve probably done it under his roof. He’ll have to talk with Mike about that, because he isn’t mad, he just wants to make sure Karen doesn’t find out. 

He curses under his breathe and grabs the nearest box and shoves it in the cart as Mike puts in the other bathroom necessities. They hurry through the rest of the list and before they know it, they’re back at home, unloading bags. 

Billy finds Valentine in the living room, asleep, surrounded by pillows on the floor with a blanket. Holly is sitting beside the cluster of pillows, a humble look on her face despite her current disliking of her brother, and Billy doesn’t say or do anything, just puts the thought away for later. He and Mike unload the groceries in he kitchen where Nancy is putting up the last of the now clean dishes. She smiles gently at them and helps put away the food items and puts the other aside for the time being.

Billy passes Mike the small bag containing the condoms and sends him upstairs to put them away in his room when he asks Nancy, “Where’s your mom?” 

“She’s upstairs getting ready.”

Billy frowns, shrugging off his jacket and laying it over the kitchen chair. “Ready for what?”

Nancy smirks. “Your date.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Part two is coming soon! There will be smut!


	10. I Need Your Guys Help!

Chapter 10 will be smut, but I need to know what my readers would like! 

Comment down below and let me know how vanilla or kinky Karen and Billy’s love life should be! Just about anything will do, and don’t be shy; this chapter is for  
YOU GUYS! 

See ya’ll soon!

(side note: STRANGER THINGS 3 IS FILMING FOUR HOURS AWAY FROM ME IN NORTH GEORGIA)

Also, my bff is moving away to a different county so I’m currently fucking up my diet and buying an ice cream cake. Idk if I’ll update for a while.


End file.
